Unlocked! New Siren Skin
by Gael Grimm
Summary: Maya has done a lot and been even further but somethings just happen that change your life. Things happen that scar you. The most important things though make you take notice of just how you can change something for someone. *** Attention! Spoilers! This story starts after attacking the bunker where Handsome Jack is holding Angel. You have been advised... ***


These are her hands.

They're not the hands of a delicate woman pampered her entire life, one who never worked a day. No. These are the hands of a fighter. The hands of a woman who has had to claw her way to where she is now. Hands that have destroyed, that have ripped apart the bodies of man and beast, and that's not meant figuratively, far from it. These are the hands of a Siren. Meant for the purpose of destruction. Even after so many years they've only just learn what it is to create, to caress, even to touch another like her. But we get ahead of ourselves.

Our heroic and sad tale started long before the story we see now even. Let's not delve to far back however. Let's not go through her lonely life in a closed off monastery being groomed into a weapon, or her tales of battle before we came to this point. No, let's start on a desolate class divided planet named, Pandora. Let's start in a settlement called Sanctuary. Even now an amazing number of battles and hardships sit behind our strong, sarcastic Hero. But let's start with one event that ripped the fabric of her reality in to another dimension...

Maya stood in the center of a cold, unfeeling metal room that held a shattered bio-tank. As fluid seeped across to hard floor by their feet she sank to her knees beside Lilith, the first woman she had met ever that was like her, a Siren. Lilith's face twisted in grief, just as Maya was sure her's was. The two women cradled between them the body of another. A girl younger than them but just as special. Many do not know this but at any given time there are only six Sirens alive in the cosmos. Only six ever. Now, here in this sad lonely bunker existed half of that number. The two women cradled the third as she slipped away into the void of what ever came after death. Angel had died of her own choice that much was fact but it had been these other women, other Sirens, who had killed her. Of all the people Maya had ever killed, and she'd not lie there were many, this was the one she would feel the worst about. She had snuffed out the light of a 'sister'. Having given her last breath the Sirens lay her down on the floor and stood.

Roland stood and began to speak to them; something about Jack, as was the usual, but Maya was a thousand miles away and not even close to listening. She turned to look behind her at Zer0 her travel companion, but his helmet hid what ever was on his face. His helmet had been the one thing she had come to hate about the assassin. While he changed it from time to time she had never in all their travels across this forsaken rock seen his face.

There was a whirring beneath their feet and it caught Maya's attention, the floor hummed with the metallic sound of a rising lift. Before she could fully turn her head to say some thing to the others a shot rang through the closed up, little, round room. She whipped her head to Roland as his chest ran red along the black tactical shirt he wore. "Roland!" Lilith's voice ripped from her throat in a cry so painful it wrenched on Maya's heart even more. Roland hit the floor not far from Angel's fallen body and behind where he stood was Jack,as though Roland's body were some sick discarded curtain that had given way to Jack's grand entrance. Lilith became enraged and her body lit itself in a violent Eridium haze that enveloped her as she dove for Jack. If there was one thing Maya had learned about Jack, however, it was that he always seemed one step a head of them. So why wouldn't that be the case the first time he had ever met them 'face to face', so to speak?

It wouldn't and it wasn't.

As Lilith dove through the air intent on tearing Jack into small shreds for murdering the man she loved he collared her. Quite literally. A neural collar sat around Lilith's throat at lit a ring of bright lights as she and it fought for control of the Siren's body. "Kill them." Jack commanded the collar. They were fortunate in this case that Jack had chosen the stronger of the two available Sirens because Lilith's strength made it possible for her to over turn the command and instead use her talents to transport them far way from the bunker that had become a double tomb.

There was a blinding flash and for a quick moment Maya was unsure if Lilith had saved them or had simply vaporized them in a blast of Eridium fire. The first thing to came to her mind was a great and searing pain in her legs. _Pain is good, _she told herself, _it means I'm not dead...yet_. There was a muffled groan next to her and she knew Zer0 had survived also. She made to stand but that thought stopped short when she realized her right knee was not right. Gingerly she tried again to stand on the other leg and found that aside from a weary dull ache all over she was able to support herself on that one. Her right leg would not bear all her slight weight. She waved Zer0 over whom, with only a slight stiffness, made his way over to her in a normal condition.

"You are hurt?" he asked simply.

"It'll heal Mordecai and Brick need to know." She said hopping over to the closed-door. It swung open before she reached it and Marcus stood on the other side.

"How the hell did you get in here?" he asked as the two moved passed him. Zer0 bracing Maya so they'd move faster. Within moments Mordecai's Truxican accented voice came across the echo. He raged and cursed Jack for "Bloodwing and now Roland" but Maya stopped and turned off the com.

"It would seem he knows" Zer0 stated resuming his support of her. "Perhaps a stop at the clinic?"

"No chance in Hell." She said leveling a stern gaze at the center of his helmet. Again unsure of his expression she assumed he took her as seriously as she meant it because when the reach the street they moved towards The Crimson Raiders headquarters instead of Dr. Zed's.

Tannis gave them her usual distrusting glare as they ascended the stairs. Zer0 deposited Maya on a bench like seat that sat off to one side in the main room and proceeded to meet with Mordecai alone. Wincing she raised her leg to rest it, straightened, on the bench with her. After sometime Zer0 returned. "Mordecai wishes for us to tell some of the others."

"I can't. I need a few moments. You can go you won't die here in the city." Zer0 nodded and left her sitting right where she was. A few moments later Mordecai walked by her but aside from a quick angry glance he paid her no attentions and continued away. After a few minutes of boredom she moved herself from the bench, which had begun to cause her more pain then comfort, and made her way to the veranda the over looked the streets.

When she finally arrived she braced herself on the doorway and saw Brick lounged back in one of the corners, a depressed scowl on his face. She had met many different kinds of men in her travels but never one like him. Normally a man of his build, stature, and demeanor didn't lounge. Linger, yes. Loom or stalk, Certainly. Never lounge. He was one of the largest men she'd seen aside from a select few bandits, or that one very large Hodunk. He was powerful and a terrifying sort of breath-taking. He turned to look at her as she loudly caught her ragged breath from the effort of the short move. "What happened?" he asked in his gruff, bass voice.

"When we arrived at the bunker we found out it wasn't a place, it was a robot. One that held Angel. But Angel wasn't an AI like she told us she was another Siren and, apparently Jack's daughter. We killed her when she begged us to. Jack used a lower elevator to raise himself up and shoot Roland in the back. Lilith went nova and tried to attack Jack. That's when he put some fucking collar on Lilith and kidnapped her." Maya told her short hand version of events as she made her way to lean on the concrete railway.

"Mordecai told me all that. Roland and I went our separate ways but we were friends. And nobody hurts my friends. NOBODY!" He continued on with his plans for revenge, which all but reached killing the pets of the family's of the people who were friends with Jack. Of course knowing Bricks story she knew he would never do that. "What happened to you?" he asked standing beside her.

She started a bit because she had not heard him move so close. "Before Jack could do too much Lilith teleport us to one of Marcus' back rooms. We most likely were dropped from close to the ceiling because somethings wrong with my knee. Zer0 suggest Zed but I thought it better to come straight here."

"Good choice." Brick replied with approval "Come on." He added lifting her off the ground with no effort at all. She made a yelp of surprise but didn't protest much and simply lay her head down on the back of his shoulder. The two of them made quite a sight walking to Brick's destination. He, large and protecting and she, curled against him, a child too tired to walk to bed.

When Brick arrived at Sanctuary he had taken up a separate lodging from the rows of bunks at headquarters. Since forming his own band and becoming the Slab King, he seemed to value having a place of his own. When they entered she was surprised to find it was still rather spartan in decor. A bed, table, 2 chairs and a gun case. She didn't know what she expected but it hadn't been this. It seemed the only thing of personal value was a holoframe that sat beside the bed on a worn dresser. It scrolled through a handful of photos most of them seemed to be of Brick and the other original vault hunters but others she caught were only of Brick and bandits, or he and his dogs. One photo that stopped up made her pick up the frame and pause the image. Brick stood beside his 'Slab King' hut and beside him sat a good size black and beige dog. He seemed a different man, so happy with his hand set on the massive brindle head.

Maya looked up at him. He had busied himself with something across the room but feeling her eyes on him he had turned to look at her. He didn't rage at her for having the item but instead looked away. "Dusty was a good dog," was all he said before returning to what he was doing.

"The Sheriff of Lynchwood is dead. She won't hurt anything any more." Maya said resuming the holoframe's shuffle and replacing it. "I know," she said walking painfully over to Brick and placing a hand on his back. "I killed her myself."

Brick turned to look at her and she saw the pin in his eyes. It seemed so foreign for this massive man to have such emotion. "I know," was all he said.

Maya returned to the bed slowly and sat back down there for a long stretch before she broke the silence again. "Brick?" He turned slightly and acknowledged her. "Why did Roland send you away from the Crimson Raiders? I heard the story about Shep Sanders but something still seems to be missing."

"I killed Shep but not just because he turned us all over to Hyperion."

"Then why?"

"When Hyperion attacked we all initially thought that Lilith was dead Roland spent days just locked up in his office and wouldn't do a damn thing when we found out about Shep. So I did..." He answered not really telling her everything.

Maya however was adept at putting together things that weren't really said. "You loved her?"

Brick turned around fully at that. "She had been my tag along for a long time before we met up with Roland and Mordecai. I protected her and after a while I guess the rumors became true. All she had to do was give the say so and I'd destroy what ever she wanted. After we joined the others she started to show feelings for Roland and I let her go. I didn't understand then but I did the day I thought she was dead." He came to the bed and sat beside her. "When she came back to us Roland knew why I had really killed Shep. There was a fight and he sent me away, her too. He sent her and I indifferent directions. Me because he wanted me gone, I think, and Lilith because if Hyperion thought she was dead they wouldn't look for her and she'd be safe."

"I'm so sorry Brick." She said shifting around to get more comfortable.

"Can't change it now." He said lifting her in one arm and adjusting the pillows on the bed and setting her back down on it. "Better?"

"Much thank you. So why come back?" She asked.

"My friends needed me." Maya raised a shaped brow. "Maybe I had other reasons too." He said giving her a quick once over. "So Angel was another Siren?"

"Yes, I had never seen another until I met Lilith. Have you?" She asked interested in his answer.

"Before you there was one other. She was a crazy bitch that we had a run in with while we were looking for the first vault. Her name was Comandante Steel, she worked for the Crimson Lance."

"What happened to her?" Maya asked truly enraptured with knowing more about another of her kind.

"She died when we opened the first vault. Pierced clean through by The Destroyer that guarded it." Brick looked at Maya as her face fell. "What is it?"

"When I found out there were others like me I was determined to find them but there are only ever six of us at any given time. Now that's two dead, Lilith, and myself. with only two others it seems I'll never know more about me."

"Lilith could still help..." Brick offered.

"She doesn't know anymore then I do. We already spoke."

"Well rest. There's no reason you can't keep looking." Brick said laying her back on the bed. "We'll have you fixed up in a bit." He returned to the long table and retrieved am injector from the fridge. "This should do it. It isn't like the ones Zed has. It's stronger and quicker." he said pushing the needle into her right arm. "If you sleep it'll work faster. You'll be hungry when you wake up so I'll take care of that." he said standing and moving to the door. "It locks from the outside so don't be scared if you can't get out. I'll be back." he said reaching for the door.

"Brick"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Sleep. We'll talk later." She nodded and sank into the bed. She watched as he left, the last thing she heard before sleeping was the lock in the door clicking and she wasn't worried she was locked in, she knew he'd be back for her.


End file.
